The Irish standard., 1887-04-30
MINNEAPOLIS, April q, 1887.

MINNEAPOLIS, April 27, 1887.
MY DEAR STR am in receipt of your friendly
note of Invitation to be present at the meet
ing at Harmonic Hall on Thursday evening, April
%, ito protest against the coercion bill now
pending before the British Parliament" and no.
tifying me that I have been chosen one of the
vice-presidents. I thank you sincerely for the
honor. My engagements are such that I cannot
be present. [ will join you in your protest, how
eever in protest against the coercion by the
British Government, in behalf of absentee land
lords of Irishmen whose very means of subsist-
ence have already been drawn from them by rent
extortions and cruel evictions, the brutality of
which which are enequalled in modern history.
will join you in protest against unfeeling admin
istrators of the law planted on Irish soil by an
unsympathizing government, and upheld by the
force of British arms. I join you in protest
against the suppression of the Land League
has stood between the suffering people of
Ireland and their oppressors, and made their
cause the cause of humanity and self-govern-
ment which has already compelled the Tory
party of England again and again to yield con-
cessions, and again and again to yield control of
the empire itselfto Liberal Ministry. Ijoin you
in protest against Misrepresentation of Parnell,
tests, because hate oppression, whether in Ire
land, Bulgaria or elsewhere. believe in Home
Rule for Ireland, in her political emancipation,
in her industrial independence, in the right of
her people to acquire ownership of the land they
till, and in her right, by legislature of her own
to devise measures to employ her own people, de-
velop her own resources in manufactures and ag-
riculture, and diversity her own industries, so
that she may be eontented and prosperous. I re-
joice with you that God has raised up for you so
wise and influential an advocate among English
men as Gladstone, so cool and skilful a leader as
Parnell, many such devoted champions as Davitt
and Dillon, and that so large proportion of
British suffragists acknowledge the righteousness
of your demands at every election British colo
MES everywhere are merely feeders of British
aristocracy. Ireland ought to have achance to be
more than British colony. More she can never
be under British coercive legislation, against
which join you in protest with all my heart. 1t
seems likely that the coercive measures will sue
coed in Parliament, but the end is not yet. The
Irish people may submit in patience under this
az under so many wrongs in the past but the day
of her deliverance draws near. Every patriotic
American prays for it. Every act of coercion
hastens it. Very truly yours,
CHAS. W. JOHNSON.
ST. PAUL. April %, 1887.
DEAR STR have delayed answering your
courteous invitation of the 18th instant in the
hope that might so arrange matters as to ac-
cept the same. 1 am sorry. however, that q
business engagement for this evening, which
cannot be postponed, prevents my being with
the good people of Minneapolis in their protest
against the crying shame of this century. Let
the free voice of American citizenship be
raised in indignant tones against the enslaye-
ment Of q race of men who have demonstrated